Pump attachment



March 23,1926. 1,577,706

B. C. FOWLIE PUMP ATTACHMENT well type.'

seeking cha acteristics.

Patented Mar. 23, 192 i a BERT o. rownrn, or HUNTINGTON BEAST-Ioanrronnra.

PUMP ATTACHMENT.

Application filed. March 5, 1924. Serial No. 697,082.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BERT C. 'Fownni, a

citizen of the United States, residing in the city of IIuntington Beach,in the county of Orange and State of California, have invented new anduseful Improvements in. Pump Attachments, of which the following is aspecification. 4

This invention relates generally to pun'ips,

and'more particularly to, pumps of the deep Since the invention may beapplied with particular advantage to oil well pumps, I willdescribe myinvention as embodied in an installation of this character, thoughfI donot intend this to be an implication that the invention is limited tosuch a specific application.

Oil well pumps include a plunger element carried and reciprocated bysucker rods which extend through tubing to the surface, and a standingvalve in the tubing below the down-stroke limit of the plunger. Thefloating valve stoppers ordinarily used in the standing and plungervalves often fail .to seat properly, especially in the presence of gas,thereby reducing the delivery of the pump conside ably below normal andgreatly decreasing the general efficiency of the pump.

These Stoppersare usually spherical owing to the absence of means forpositively guiding them in their movement and the corn sequent necessitythat they have self seat Positively guided stoppers, in the absence ofmeans for positively moving them, are unsuitable due to their tendencyto bind with the guiding means. The presence of a comparatively smallamount of ga'stends to roll the balls from their seats, and theresulting leakage, be it ever so slight, materially reduces the ultimatedelivery of oil.

In my device, I utilize stopper stems which are guided within theplunger during periods of operation, and I provide means for positivelymoving the stoppers. Therefore I am able to use cylindrical stoppershavmg flat or conical seating faces' Valve stoppers of the latter typeare superior to those of the spherical type in that they present moresurface area both to their seats and to the crosssection of the oilcolumn,

with obviously beneficial results.

By the provision of positive valve operating means, the stoppers areniovedto entirely close ofl the valve ports when seated, and to open upample oil passageways during periods when it is intended that oil shouldpass therethrough.

The working valve isdirectly and positively operated by the suckerrodsin their reciprocation, there being a period of lost -motion betweenthe rods and the pump plunger during which the valveis actuated. Theworking valve, in turn, is connected to the standing valvestopper, son'lovement of the former effects movement ot the latter. However,- sincethe working valve has constant relative longitudinal movement withrespect to the standing valve when the plunger is being reeiprocated,the connection between said stoppers is necessarily of a yieldablenature, and, in its broader aspects, may be considered-a frictionalconnection.

One member of the yieldable connection is a tube securedto the standingvalve stopper and extending through a usual plunger nut in to the boreof the plunger. By the provision of a properly positioned Garbutt nut onthe tube, the tubular member performs the tunetion of a Garbuttattachment, since with- .drawal of the plunger from the casing causescoincident withdrawal of the tubular member and its associated valvestopper, and

the stopper has a connection with its cage,

ing valve and plunger, with which my in vention is incorporated, beingshown in elevation.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged and contracted section through the pump plungerand standing valve, certain of the parts being shown in elevation, andillustrating the positions of the various parts when the plunger is atthe limit of its down stroke.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the parts in theposition they assume during the up stroke of the plunger.

Fig. i is a horizontal section on line 4- i of Figure 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged horizontal section on line 55 of Figure 2.

6 is an enlarged vertical section on line 66 of Figure 2; and

Fig. 7 is a horizontal section on line 7-7 of Figure 6.

In the drawings, numeral 10 designates a pump plunger which is adaptedto be reciprocated by sucker rods 13 through liners 11 of barrel 12. Atthe lower .end of barrel 12 is the usual shoe 14: within which is seateda standing valve 15. Valve 15 is made up of lower member 16 and cage 17,which are threadably joined by valve seat bushing 18, and valve stopper19. The upper face or seat of bushing 18 may be provided with an annulus20 of soft metal, or the like, to insure a fluid tight joint betweenseat and stopper. The body 21 of stopper 19 is cylindrical andpreferably, though not necessarily, has a sliding fit between cage posts22. Grooves 23 in the cage head or crown 24 provide oil ways from theinterior of the cage to the barrel bore 25 above the standing valve. Atube 26, coaxial with valve 15 and plunger 10, has a sliding fit throughhead bore 24 and is threaded into the stopper extension 27, the latterpreterably being squared or otherwise suitably mutilated to receive awrenching tool.

Tube 26 extends upwardly through the clearance bore of a usual plungernut 28, and thence into the bore 29 of the plunger Where it terminatesin a Gal-butt nut 30. Nut 30 is so positioned with respect to thelongitudinal extent of the plunger that, dur ing the normal stroking ofthe pump, there is no coaction between nuts 28 and 36 However, when theplunger is withdrawn, nut 28 picks up nut 30 thus lifting tube 26 andstopper 19. Stopper extension 27, through its engagement with the lowerface of cage head 24, then withdraws valve 15 from shoe 11. Thus theassembly just described is adapted to perform the function of the wellknown Garbu-tt attachment. My assembly, however, differs from the usualGarbutt attachment in the feature of joining the'rod to the standingvalve stopper rather than to the valve cage.

Attached by bushing 81 to the top of plunger 10 is the blind valve 32which is provided with head 83, the latter being centrally bored at 34.The lower head face 85 forms the seat of the working valve, while thevalve stopper 36. which is adapted to intermittently seat on face'35, isthreaded on the lower end of the longitudinally fluted stem 37. Thisstem extends through bore 34 and terminates in a head 38 above the valvecage, and the head preferably. has a square portion 38 for receivingwrenching tools.

Sucker rod 13 is threaded into head 38 and is adapted to reciprocate thestopper 36 and, by thus causing alternate engagement of stopper 36 andhead 38 with opposite ends of valve head 33, the sucker rod also servesto reciprocate the plunger. Thus, in effect, rod 13 has alost motionconnection with the plunger, and valve 32 is opened and closed duringperiods of such lost motion. The upper face of head 83 has radialgrooves 39 to provide for'the passage of oil from between the flutes ofstem 37 to the pump barrel above the plunger during the down stroke ofthe latter.

A longitudinally fluted rod 40 is threaded into the squared base 41 ofstopper 36 and extends downwardly through the bore of tube 26. Rod 40and tube 26 thus form a telescopic and yieldable connection betweenvalve stoppers 19' and 36, rod 40 being adapted to move longitudinallythrough the tube during the stroking of the plunger.

Rod 40 terminates in a ground taper 42 and a fluted tip 48. A centrallyapertured piston valve 44 is adapted to slide longitudinally along tip43, the movement of the piston in one direction being limited by thetaper 42 and in the other direction by retention nut 45 threaded on theextremity of the tip. The tubular piston 44: preferably has a snugsliding fitwithin the bore of tube 26, and the upper end of the pistonis provided with a conical valve seat L6 which is complementary to thetaper 42. A relief port 47 is provided in tube 26 at a point below thedown stroke limit of the piston. The upper, open end of the tube andport 47 provide longitudinally spaced oil passageways into the tubebore. The fluted rod is adapted to be reciprocated between thesepassageways and the flute grooves provide for communication therebetweenwhen the piston valve is open.

I will now describe the operation of the pump. Assuming that rods 13 areat the limit of their up stroke, the plunger and standing valve partswill be in the relative position of Figure 3, and a charge of oil willbe present within the bore of the plunger and within the pump barrelbelow the plunger. Tube 26 will be filled with oil which has enteredthrough port 4:7 and from the top of the tube between the flutes of rod40. The passageways formed by the grooving or fluting of rod 40 and,further defined by the internal peripheral face oat tube 2.6, are alsofilled with .oil, and it may be well to state at this time that byreason of these relative oil-ways and the presence of oil therein, thecontacting faces ofthe rod and tube may be kept constantly lubricated.

At the start of the sucker rods down stroke, lost motion occurs betweensaid rod and the plunger due to the fit of the plunger within the barreland to the column of oil beneath said plunger. At the end of this periodof lost motion, valve 32 has been positively opened and head 38 has comeinto contact with valve face 33, so that subsequent downward movement ofthe sucker rods positively moves the plunger downwardly. Also during theperiod of lost motion, rod 40, due to its connection with stopper 36, ispositively moved downwardly through tube 26. At the start of the rodsmovement, taper A2 coacts with piston seat 46, due to the supporting oilcolumn beneath the piston, to close off communication between theoil-ways of the rod and the bore of tube 26 below the rod. Continueddownward movement of therod then presses downwardly the column of oilconfined with in the tube between the piston and stopper, and the oilcolumn, in turn, pressesdownwardly upon and acts against the top ofstopper 19, where the latter is exposed to the column within the tube,and forces said stopper down into firm seat. After the stopper is thusseated rod continues in its downward movement within the tube until thesucker rods and plunger are at the end of their down-stroke, relief port47 allowing suflicient escape of oil from the tube between piston andstopper to allow for this relative movement between rod and tube; thediameters of relief port A7 and of the tube bore being proportioned toallow the passage of oil from out the tube with sufiicient velocity toprevent such back pressure as is set up in the tube from resisting thedown movement of the rod to an undesirable degree.

As soon as valve 32 is fully opened and valve 15 fully closed (Figure2), the continued movement of the plunger passes the oil from abovevalve 15 through the following path: bore of plunger nut 28, plungerbore 29, grooves of stem 37, and then through grooves 39 to the pumpbarrel bore at a point above the plunger.

As rods 13 start their rip-stroke, valve 32 is positively and tightlyclosed due to the longitudinal movement of the plunger and stopper 36(the plunger temporarily being held stationary by reason of its fitwithin the barrel and by reason of the oil column above it), and rod 40is drawn upwardly through tube 26. The initial upward movement of therod causes relative longitudinal movement between tip l3 and piston a l(nut limiting the extent of this movement) so the following passagewaybetween the grooves of rod 40 and the bore of tube 26 below the pistonis opened up;

the stopper.

radial grooves 45 in nut 45, grooves 43 in tip 43, and the bore of thetubular piston.

By reason of this passageway, the rod may be drawn upwardly tl'iroughthe tube with out undue resistance from the oil within the latter, butdue to the relatively restricted diameter of port 47, which port nowacts as an inlet, sufiicicnt suction is set up within the tube to causethe tube to follow along with the rod, thus raising the tube and itsstopper to the position of Figure 3. How: ever, the suction is notsufiiciently great to overcome the frictional held between shoe 14 andvalve 15, so, as soon as stopper head 27 strikes cage head 24., the tubeand lower stopper come to rest while the plunger and rod 4.0 continue intheir upward movement.

During the up stroke of the plunger the oil column above it is lifted byreason of closed valve 32; while oil is drawn through valve '15 into thepump barrel beneath the plunger, grooves -J3 allowing the passage of oilfrom within cage'lT to saidbarrel.

I wish it to be understood that the accompanying drawings and foregoingspecification are to be considered merely as illustrative of and notrestrictive on the broader claims appended hereto, for various changesin structure, design and arrangement may be made without departing fromthe spirit and scope of these claims.

1 claim:

1. In a pump, a relatively movable fluid pumping element, a relativelystationary standing valve having a movable valve stopper, and fluidpressure means operated by the movable element and adapted to move 2.111a pump, a standing valve having a valve stopper adapted to be seated bydownward pressure exerted thereon, areciprocatory plunger, areciprocatory element for operating the plunger, and means operated bysaid element by virtue of its reciprocation and adapted to move thestopper; said means including a tubular member secured to the stopper, arod carried by the element and adapted to be reciprocated thereby withinthe tubular member, there being a passageway in the tubular member forallowing restricted passage of fluid into and out of the tubular memberbetween the rod and stopadapted to be reciprocatcd thereby within thetubular member, a piston on the rod and fitting the bore of the tubularmen'iber, there being a passageway in the tubular member for allowingrestricted passage ot fluid into and out of the tubular member betweenthe piston and stopper, said piston, on the dow stroke of the element,being adapted to press the fluid beneath it downwardly upon the stopperand thereby seat the stopper.

l. In a pump, standing valve having a valve stopper adapted to be seatedby downward pressur exerted thereon, a reciprocatory plunger, areciprocating element for operating the plunger, and means operated bysaid element by virtue of its reciprocation and adapted to move thestopper; said means including a tubular member secured to the stopper, arod carried by the element and adapted to be reciprocated thereby withinthe tubular member, said rod having passageways adapted to allow thepassage of fluid longitudinally therealong, a movable piston on the rodand fitting the bore of the tubular member, there being a passageway inthe tubular member for allowing restricted passage of fluid into and outof the tubular member between the piston and stopper, said piston, onthe down-stroke ot the element, being adapted to close the rodpassageways and to press the fluid beneath it downwardly upon thestopper and thereby seat the stopper.

5. In a pump, a standing valve having a valve stopper adapted to beseated by downward pressure exerted thereon, a reciprocatory plunger, areciprocating element for operating the plunger, and means operated bysaid element by virtue of its reciprocation and adapted to move thestopper; said means including a tubular member secured to the stopper, arod carried by the element and adapted to be reciprocated thereby withinthe tubular member,- there being a passageway in the tubular member forallowing restricted passage of fluid into and out of the tubular memberbetween the rod and stopper, said rod having passageways adapted toallow the passage of fluid longitudinally therealong, a valve on the rodadapted to be moved alternately to close and open said passageways whenthe rod, is reciprocated, and said rod, on the down-stroke of theelement, being adapted to press the fluid beneath it downwardly upon thestopper and thereby seat the stopper.

6. In a pump, a standing valve having a \alve stopper adapted to beseated by down- *ard pressure exerted thereon, a reciprocatory plunger,a reciprocating element for operating the plunger, and means operated bysaid element by virtue of its reciprocation and adapted to move thestopper, said means including a tubular member secured to the stopperand having longitudinally spaced fluid passageways, a fluted rod carriedby the element and adapted to be reciprocated thereby within the tubularmen'iber, said rod extending between said passageways and the flutegrooves providing for communication between said passageways, and avalve mov able to open and close the ends of the grooves to interruptthe communication and operated by virtue of the reciprocation of: therod within the tubular member.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my namethis 21 day of February 1924;.

BERT C. liOlVLI'E.

